Mudblood
]] '''Mudblood' is a highly derogatory term for a Muggle-born wizard or witch; that is, individuals with no wizarding relatives.There does not appear to be any difference in the magical power of Muggle-borns compared to those who are pure-blood, but pure-blood supremacists consider them to be of "lower breeding" or worth, and undeserving of magic. The racial slur implies that the individual has "dirty blood" and is considered extremely offensive. There are apparently other, less commonly used terms with a similar meaning, such as "creature of dirt" . History Use by prejudiced witches and wizards Many older wizarding families place great emphasis on blood purity and reject association with Muggles and Muggle-borns, both of whom they consider greatly inferior to themselvesIn the F.A.Q. section of her website, J. K. Rowling stated that "As far as somebody like Lucius Malfoy is concerned, for instance, a Muggle-born is as 'bad' as a Muggle." . The notion is foremost in the minds of Dark Wizards, Death Eaters, and other followers of Lord Voldemort. It is possible that some well-meaning pureblood families espouse this prejudice as well, but to a less virulent degree. Notably, some pure-bloods, such as members of the Weasley family, reject these prejudices and are labelled "blood traitors" or "Mudblood-lovers" as a result. The term "Mudblood" is generally not used in polite society, as it is considered highly offensive and vulgar, on par with the racial epithets often heard in the Muggle world. When Draco Malfoy called Hermione Granger a Mudblood in 1992, he was nearly attacked by several members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and was nearly cursed by Ronald Weasley."Chamber of Secrets" However, when Voldemort was in control of the Ministry of Magic in 1997, the term became more prevalent, appearing even in the Daily Prophet and Ministry propaganda. This was in line with Death Eater ideology being disseminated to the general public, which claimed that Muggle-borns were not "real" wizards and witches. Use by Muggle-borns There are some Muggle-borns who refuse to allow the term to be degrading to them. For example, Lily Evans told her former friend Severus Snape that if he was going to refer to other Muggle-borns as "Mudbloods", then he had to use the term for her as well, and Hermione Granger declared that she was proud to be a "Mudblood" in 1998. Usage of the term Behind the scenes *In , after Draco Malfoy calls Hermione Granger a "filthy little Mudblood", it is shown that Hermione is already familiar with the term, which is odd, considering that it would be unlikely for her to hear it anywhere, and she and Rubeus Hagrid explain it to Harry Potter. Though it is possible that she could have learned about the word while doing research. In the novel, Hermione had never heard the word before, and Ron Weasley explains it to her and Harry. *In the first part of the film adaptation of , Bellatrix Lestrange tortures Hermione Granger by carving the word "mudblood" on her arm. No such event ever happens in the novels. Appearances * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Harry Potter: The Wand Collection Notes and references See also *Blood purity *Pure-blood *Blood traitor *Magbob de:Schlammblut ru:Грязнокровка es:Sangre sucia fr:Sang-de-Bourbe it:Sanguemarcio pl:Szlama Category:Muggle-borns Category:Slurs